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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135088">red hands (bare backs)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhirlyBird70/pseuds/WhirlyBird70'>WhirlyBird70</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Hurt No Comfort, im sorry :((((, or rather comfort then hurt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:07:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,022</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135088</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhirlyBird70/pseuds/WhirlyBird70</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A ways from him, Ace was in the same situation, rubbing his head and cursing the same amount that he did when Gramps came to visit. “Ow…..”</p><p>Luffy shook his head, and moved to go towards his brother, before a sharpness in his leg shot up his entire body. “Ouch!” He shouted, more painfully this time, hand snapping to his leg.</p><p>It felt wet.</p><p>His hand came away red.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Monkey D. Luffy &amp; Portgas D. Ace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>red hands (bare backs)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ace fell, and then so did Luffy, the both of them tumbling tumbling tumbling down the side of the cliff and onto a bay full of rocks.</p><p>Luffy slammed <em>hard</em> into the ground, his face skidding against smooth rock, and his knees hitting on sharp edges. His pipe clattered away as his hat floated gently in the air.</p><p>He didn’t bounce off the rock. He and Ace has tumbled down in their play fight too fast for that. Still.</p><p>“Ow!” Luffy shouted, biting back tears because he didn’t cry anymore, not since Sabo died.</p><p>(A year later and they could say their brother’s name, if only in their heads, again without being destroyed by grief.)</p><p>A ways from him, Ace was in the same situation, rubbing his head and cursing the same amount that he did when Gramps came to visit. “Ow…..”</p><p>Luffy shook his head, and moved to go towards his brother, before a sharpness in his leg shot up his entire body. “Ow!” He shouted, more painfully this time, hand snapping to his leg.</p><p>It felt wet.</p><p>His hand came away red.</p><p>(His hands were red when Shanks lost his arm, blood pooling in the water and splattering in the air. They were red when Ace was lost in the fire. They were red when the bear came.)</p><p>He looked down, and there along his leg was a wide, wide scrape, bloody and messy. It <em>stung. </em>But Luffy was used to blood and scrapes and accidents and tumbles, because he was a child of the jungle and well -</p><p>He wanted to be a <em>pirate. </em>He had to be used to fights!</p><p>Still… Luffy tentatively put his hand back against the bleeding cut, and shouted. “Ace!”</p><p>“Yeah -Holy <em>shit, </em>Luffy!” Came Ace’s reply as he finally looked up at his brother. “The fuck did you do to your leg?”</p><p>Luffy shrugged the best he could with his hands clapped over his bloody knee. “I dunno. We fell and then my leg was cut!”</p><p>Ace cocked his head as he made his way over to Luffy, picking his way past sharp rocks and skittering crabs. “Makes sense.” He knelt, hands hovering and then peeling away Luffy’s hands. “Ouch,” He commented, and Luffy nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Ouch!”</p><p>“Let me go get some water for that, kay? Thought you couldn’t get hurt from falls.”</p><p>Luffy pouted at him, even as Ace turned his back. “I can’t! I got hurt from rocks not a fall!”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Ace said from the waves of the rocky shore. “Rubber’s still a shitty fruit.”</p><p>“Is not!”</p><p>“Is too!”</p><p>“Is not”</p><p>“Is too!”</p><p>“Is-“ Ace pressed his damp tank top, now held in his hands like a rag, against Luffy’s cut.<br/>
<br/>
“AH! OUCH! WHAT THE FUCK ACE!” Luffy screeched, shoving at him. “You used saltwater!”</p><p>“Yeah - its water, you needed to clean your leg, idiot, Makino said so!”</p><p>“She said clean it with regular water not saltwater! Dummy!” Luffy stumbled upward to hit his head against Ace’s in a mock argument. As he did, his leg buckled, and Ace had to snap out an arm to catch him, slapping the rag at his skin as he did. Luffy wouldn’t be deterred. “Idiot!”</p><p>Ace laughed, and finally pulled the rag away from Luffy. “Fine, fine! I won’t use water -“</p><p>“Saltwater! Stinging saltwater!”</p><p>“-Saltwater to clean your leg. Happy?”</p><p>Luffy nodded and Ace gave a smile.</p><p>“Let me clean your hands though?”</p><p>“NO!”</p><p>“C’mon Luffy - It won’t sting you don’t even have a cut there!”</p><p>“I said no!” Luffy stretched out a wobbly arm to grab his pipe, almost smacking Ace when he brought it back. “It doesn’t matter! We get dirt on us all the time!”</p><p>Ace looked frustrated, a little exasperated. “Yeah but Makino said being clean was <em>polite.</em> And I’m your big brother! I have to teach you to be polite.”</p><p>Luffy gave him a <em>look.</em> His big brother was stupid sometimes. “We don’t have to be polite when <em>no one’s here. </em>Duh.” Luffy was never going to be polite. That was boring, and big brother business.</p><p>Ace sighed, looking suffering and smiling all at once, and turned his bare back to Luffy. “C’mon. I’ll help you up the mountain at least. <em>Then</em> we can clean your hands and get your leg wrapped up.”</p><p>Luffy didn’t need <em>help</em> but he did love piggy back rides, so instead of pouting he cheered and clambered all over Ace’s back.</p><p>“Hey! Watch your elbow!”</p><p>“Shishishi! Sorry!”</p><p>“Idiot…”</p><p>Ace grumbled, but he didn’t say anything as Luffy looped the wet tank around his neck like a scarf, and even tilted his head so Luffy could share in the cooling wetness and rest his head on Ace’s shoulder.</p><p>Ace was the best big brother.</p><p>Being held on his big brother’s bare back, hands bloody, distant sea and life around him, of this, Luffy was <em>sure.</em></p><p>
  <em>-</em>
</p><p>Ace fell, and then so did Luffy, sliding on his knees to catch his big brother as he listed with the pull of the fist - the fist that just struck straight through his big brother’s chest.</p><p>He could barely get the words out.</p><p>“Ace?”</p><p>(He sees what comes after, always in his nightmares, in the moments between dusk and dawn and the rising and setting of the sun. Always, <em>Luffy</em> and <em>Sorry, </em>And <em>Little brother, </em>and <em>Thank you for loving me.</em></p><p>He repeats it in his sleep sometimes. Ace asked him to past the message on after all. Luffy would never forget.)</p><p>Ace didn’t answer his final plea, instead slumping to the ground, vivre card burning and cherished necklace shattering.</p><p>His brother’s back was bare and ruined.</p><p>When Luffy pulled his hands away, they were covered in red.</p><p>(Red, like when Shanks saved him, Red, like when Ace saved him and was swallowed boy fire, Red, like when Ace <em>saved him - </em></p><p>Red like now.)</p><p>Holding his brother’s body, his brother’s back proudly bared and ruined, Luffy’s hands bloody and the sound of death and the sea all around him, Luffy had no brothers left.</p><p>Of this, he was sure.</p><p>
  <em>“AAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEE!”</em>
</p><p>(And this time, his big brother didn’t answer.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i wrote this i think like a month ago? spur of the moment because i liked the imagery and i always like thinking about luffy at marineford :)))</p><p>i should be studying for physics. or answering stuff. shhhh im a fool.</p><p>ANYWAY here u go!!! </p><p>Hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading! &lt;3 </p><p>- whirly</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="https://whirlybirdwhat.tumblr.com">My Tumblr!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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